Speaker Series

The success of our in-house speaker series is a testament to our culture of collaboration and inclusion. The series, launched in 2005, is open to all attorneys and staff, and brings distinguished speakers to the firm to discuss and explore diverse points of view.

Just a few of our guest speakers have included:

Kiran Ahuja: executive director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Barbara Arnwine: executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law since 1989, the first African-American woman to head the organization.

Lawrence Baca: one of the first American Indian graduates of Harvard Law School, first American Indian hired through the Department of Justice's Honors Law Program, former chair of the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, and 2008 recipient of the Commission's "Spirit of Excellence" award.

Elizabeth Bettina: author of "It Happened in Italy: Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust."

Ruth Cooper Berg: first woman appointed an administrative judge on the Armed Services Board of Contract Appeals, first woman to head the ABA's Section of Public Contract Law, and ABA Margaret Brent Award winner.

Paul Butler: professor, author of "Let's Get Free: A Hip Hop Theory of Justice," and social commentator on hot-button topics like jury nullification.

Adam Ebbin: the first openly gay candidate elected to the Virginia House of Delegates.

Peter Edelman: a long-time social justice advocate and current professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center who has served in all three branches of government, including service as assistant secretary for planning and evaluation at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Holly Fujie: former (then incoming) California Bar president and current judge on the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Eric Holder, Jr.:the first African-American U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, the first African-American deputy attorney general of the United States, and the first African-American attorney general of the United States.